Azul Ixtapa Grand Resort

We stayed about 5 miles away in the resort town of Ixtapa, but our days were spent exploring the beautify city of Zihuatanejo. We booked an all-inclusive package at the Azul Ixtapa Grand, located on Linda Beach. There are actually two Azul Ixtapa hotels, one is just named ‘Azul Ixtapa’ and then the larger ‘Azul Ixtapa Grand’. If you stay at the ‘Grand’, you have permissions to use the pools and amenities at the neighboring ‘Azul Ixtapa’, but guests at that hotel do not have the same permissions at the ‘Grand’. Another great thing about the ‘Grand’ is that all of the rooms have ocean views. When we checked in, we asked for a room on a higher floor than the one we had originally booked so we could have a better view, and we were given a room on the second to the top floor. We recommend asking for a different room if you want something with a better view or location than the one you booked. Most of the time, you arrive at the hotel and get a different perspective than you get from pictures when you book, so there is no harm in asking for something different. It’s your vacation, make it the best. There are roughly 24 floors in this hotel, with the lobby being on the 10th floor. The hotel also has 4 restaurants, 3 swim-up bars and an adults only pool. When they say adults only, they mean it. No children or rough-housing in the adult pool. They don’t even allow pool toys, so if you want that sort of thing, there are two other pools that allow it. Also, always check the resort website ahead of time to see what the dress code is for each restaurant. That way you will know what to pack and won’t have to go back to the room to change from your shorts into slacks. We have noticed that the ‘Grand’ is often booked out, but there is a resort down the road that we also looked into when booking. It is called Cala de Mar Resort & Spa and it also has only ocean view suites. It is a bit more expensive, but you get what you pay for. There are also resorts all throughout Ixtapa, so a little research will net you a great resort. If that is not your thing, there are also a ton of homes and condos that you can rent. VRBO is our favorite site, but there are also listings on Airbnb.